Teen talent to take over the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

"It's hugely important to see the creative work of teens."

On Thursday evening, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum showcases teen Bostonian artists as part of a student-organized Teen Takeover night.

"We're supporting local young artists who are pursuing creative careers," says Anthony Pena, a former Boston Arts Academy student and one of the event's organizers. "We're really providing a space for them — an opportunity for them to shine outside of school."

Pena is one of the participants in the museum's Teens Behind the Scenes program that plans the one-night event. The program lets Boston high schoolers shadow museum staff and organize activities for the public. For some of the participants, this is their first paying job.

"It allows teens to get exposed to and experience different forms of art," says Mia McCarthy, a sophomore at Boston Latin School and another student organizer. "It's really important for teens, because it may be something that they end up being very passionate about."

Among the featured artists are fashion designer Rodrick Guevara — also a Teens Behind the Scenes participant — jazz pianist Safiyyah Johnson and filmmaker and recent Boston Arts Academy graduate Annielly Camargo. Also performing: a student band from Boston Arts Academy called Rude, and the Boston Latin School's boys' a cappella group, the Wolftones.

"It's hugely important to see the creative work of teens," says Sara Egan, the ISGM's school partnership manager. "We want to keep it fresh, keep it alive, keep it in-touch and relevant,"

Between checking out the artists, visitors can rotate through art-making activities throughout the entire museum, including a huge group mural on which anyone can write their answer to the question: what does it mean to be a teen? (Our answer: confusion, interspersed with pizza rolls.)